


The Time Will Come

by DizzyDrea



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-02
Updated: 2011-06-02
Packaged: 2017-10-27 03:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"The time will come when it won't seem impossible. When you'll want it to happen. And then, it'll happen. Maybe Worth was just seeing what will be."</i>
</p>
<p>Will and Declan have a conversation about Helen, and her relationships with both men.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Time Will Come

**Author's Note:**

> I found it interesting that Adam Worth referred to Will as Magnus' 'concubine'. For reasons that probably matter only to me, it made me think of Declan, and his place in the Sanctuary network. And, as I've become somewhat of an unconventional pairings shipper, it is, of course, Helen/Will. If you don't like that pairing, I don't recommend you read further. Takes place after _Carentan_. This also assumes a different past for Declan.
> 
> Disclaimer: Sanctuary and all its particulars is the property of Sanctuary 1 Productions, Stage 3 Media, Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping and a lot of other people who aren't me. I'm doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

The lights of the Old City glittered as full dark settled over the skyline. Above, a blanket of stars enveloped the Sanctuary, surrounding the stately stone building in a halo of light.

Will Zimmerman sat on 'his' parapet, enjoying the sight. Not long ago, he'd been afraid that he might never see this place again. He was relieved beyond words to be back home, though still a little sad for all the people he'd known in Carentan that had been lost.

Well, not so much lost. 'The footprints of the never-were,' as Doctor Who had put it.

So much of what had happened had left him confused, and he still wasn't sure he understood it all. Oh, he understood the time-dilation field, and Adam Worth's possible involvement. But Ravi being seventy-something? And Josie? And Magnus?

"You know, I do miss this view," a voice behind him said, interrupting his wandering thoughts.

Will turned to see Declan McRae walking across the roof, eyes glittering in the light.

"The London Sanctuary doesn't have views like this?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

Declan shook his head. "It has a spectacular view, but I suppose since this was my first Sanctuary, I am a bit partial to this view."

"I can understand that," Will said, nodding. "There for a while, I didn't think I'd be seeing this place again."

"That bad, was it?" Declan asked. He'd read Will's report, and talked to Helen Magnus at length, but her perspective was always a bit different to others'.

"I don't suppose it was so bad," Will admitted. "But knowing that we might never find a way out, and then discovering that when we did, everyone we'd known there would no longer exist?" He shrugged. "Not so easy."

"I can imagine," Declan said as he leaned against the other bulwark.

"You can, can't you?" Will asked, surprised. He hadn't really given it any thought before, but Declan had been with the Sanctuary for a lot longer than he had. He'd probably seen some pretty outrageous stuff.

"I used to be you," Declan said to Will's unasked question.

"Yeah?" Will asked. He'd never heard Declan's story, so he'd always been just a bit curious about the man.

Declan chuckled at the undisguised curiosity in Will's voice. "The first time I met her, I was at Oxford. She'd come to give a lecture on some new research techniques in microbiology. I practically cornered her after the lecture, asking her any question I could think of."

"I bet she loved that," Will said, shaking his head.

"She answered all my questions," Declan said. "She was rather patient, given that I had essentially kidnapped her to the local pub. It was the first time she called me—"

"Cheeky," Will and Declan said in unison, eliciting a chuckle from both of them.

"I suppose I was a bit cheeky, all things considered," Declan said. "When she left that day, I set about learning everything I could about one Doctor Helen Magnus."

"Which wasn't much, I'll bet," Will said. He'd done the same thing, with the same result.

"No," Declan confirmed, shaking his head. "For as involved as she is in advanced scientific research, she keeps it so far off the radar that there's precious little to be learned. Still, talking with her encouraged me. At the least, it confirmed that I was on the right track."

"You know, I didn't meet her until she hit me with her car," Will said. "Or rather, when Big Guy hit me."

"Not exactly the way she wanted to meet you, I'm sure," Declan said.

"No, not really," Will said. "She said as much. Even apologized. Gave me her card and told me to call when I was ready."

"At least you had that," Declan said. "When I watched her walk away, I had no idea when I'd ever see her again. It took several years, but we finally reconnected."

"How?"

"I did my graduate work at the University of Chicago," Declan said. "Part of that was a research project at Fermilab."

"The Tevatron?"

"The very one," Declan said. "My team was looking at molecular drift in genetic anomalies. We were searching for a reason for large-scale shifts in genetics among populations."

"And that got Magnus' attention," Will said.

"Much like your work in Forensic Psychology," Declan said. "She sent me an invitation to visit her at the Sanctuary. Within a week I was packing up and moving in."

"You move fast," Will said, smiling.

"I knew what I wanted," Declan said. "I had the advantage of meeting her before she made the offer to me."

"True," Will said. "So, you were her protégé, too?"

"I was," Declan confirmed. "Helen is generous with her time, as you know, and patient. She taught me all about the world of abnormals, though I must admit I did have a fair idea what was out there before she recruited me."

"Because of your work in microbiology and genetics."

"Yes," Declan said. "I was here for nearly ten years. In that time, Helen and I grew close. It was incredible, the world she opened for me. When my father fell ill, I transferred to the London Sanctuary, to work with James Watson. And when Watson died…well, you know the rest."

"Were you and Magnus ever—" Will started, then cut himself off. "Wait, I don't wanna know."

Declan chuckled. "Yes, we were."

"I told you I didn't want to know," Will grumbled.

"Yes, you did. You wouldn't have asked otherwise," Declan said, chuckling. He cocked his head, deep in thought for a moment before the light dawned. "Worth called you 'concubine'."

Will blinked at the non-sequitor. "Yeah…so?"

"I suppose he's right," Declan said thoughtfully.

Will's expression turned wary. "We're not—"

"Not now," Declan said.

"Not ever," Will said firmly. "Besides, isn't a concubine a woman?"

"Technically, it is," Declan said. "But one of the secondary definitions is a second or subservient spouse."

"Second to whom?" Will shot back. "You?"

"Druitt," Declan said without preamble. "Even when he's not around, he's here."

"Yeah," Will said, gusting a sigh. "Doesn't mean Magnus and I will ever—"

"Not right now," Declan said. "But the time will come when it won't seem impossible. When you'll want it to happen. And then, it'll happen. Maybe Worth was just seeing what will be."

Will looked at Declan skeptically. "I'm not sure I believe that."

"I can imagine that," Declan said. "Right now you only see your mentor. There's a distance between you. You call her 'Magnus'; you date other women."

"To be fair, there's only been two since I've been here," Will said, feeling the need to defend himself. "Well, three, I guess, if you count Josie."

"Josie?"

Will nodded, sadness stealing over his features. "Josie was born in Carentan. She was Ravi's assistant, so we got close while we were working on the time-dilation device." Declan stayed silent as Will worked through his thoughts. "She was so sweet, so passionate about the science. It was so easy to just forget everything that was going on and get lost in her. But then I'd remember Abby, and pull back."

"Have you seen her since you've been back?" Declan asked. "Abby, I mean."

"No," Will said, cringing. "She wanted to come, but I told her I couldn't see her right now. I don't know if she understood."

"Do you understand?"

"Understand what?" Will asked, frowning.

"Why you pulled back from Abby," Declan said. "And why you pulled back from Josie."

Will rubbed a hand over his face. "I couldn't give up hope that we'd find a way out. I didn't want to lead Josie on; if we did find a way out, I was supposed to be going home to Abby. And Magnus needed me. I couldn't just spend all my time with Josie and leave Magnus to work on the problem alone."

"It all comes back to Helen, doesn't it?" Declan said gently.

Will sighed, his attention drifting back to the view of the City. The day he'd given Josie her birthday present, his only thought had been to remember the day, to make her smile in the face of such a difficult situation. He'd gotten caught up in the moment, and for a second it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to kiss her. But when he had, his first thought hadn't been for Josie, or even Abby. Ironically, his first thought had been to worry what Magnus would say if she'd caught them.

How ironic that his worry hadn't been over what his supposed girlfriend would say if she found out. Because, for as much as he cared about Abby, she was not the most important woman in his life, and didn't really have a chance to be. Realization dawned as the truth unfolded in his mind. He looked to where Declan stood beside him, seeing a satisfied grin settle on his face.

"Was that what it was like for you?"

"For as much as I admired Helen Magnus, it took me roughly five minutes after I'd moved in to know I wanted to be more than her protégé," Declan said. "But I think I also knew that I'd never be more to her than a temporary distraction."

"Because of Druitt?" Will asked.

"Oddly, no," Declan said. "Druitt figures largely in her life, arrogant git though he is. But she reconciled herself to the truth a long time ago: he will never be what she needs, despite the fact that he will always be who she wants—or rather, the memory of the man he used to be. But she can mitigate the want, dull the ache and distance herself from the pain enough to allow someone else into her heart. I've always believed that, one day, she'll find someone that she wants just as much—if not more than—Druitt. She'll find someone who can be what she wants and needs, and when that happens, he'll no longer have the hold over her that he once did."

"And you think I'm that person," Will said skeptically.

"I believe you are," Declan said.

"Why me?"

Declan sighed, glancing out at the City before looking back to the younger man before him. "Believe it or not, Will, she sees you as her equal."

"You told me I wasn't ready to be a Head of House," Will said, voice almost accusing.

"And at the time I was right," Declan said. "There's more to running a Sanctuary than catching abnormals; there's administrative details and personnel issues. The paperwork alone could bury you alive. You've grown a lot since I first met you, and I think you could do it. But that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I mean that, for the first time I can remember, she's got someone beside her that she listens to," Declan said. "Someone who's opinion matters. Someone she trusts to have her back. Someone she lets see the real Helen Magnus. Don't think it's escaped my notice that she's told you things she's never told me, or anyone really."

"The day I accepted the job here I told her that nothing short of the truth would work," Will said. "I told her I wouldn't work with her unless she told me everything."

"And she did, didn't she?"

"She's still got her secrets, but yeah, she's told me the truth, every time I asked," Will said. He'd long since accepted that he didn't know everything about her, despite the fact that he'd told her that day that he'd leave if she didn't level with him. He'd come to understand that some things were too painful for her to talk about until circumstances gave her no choice. He'd accepted that, and made the choice to stand by her, knowing that even when he didn't know the truth, he knew and trusted her.

He spun around and hopped down off his perch, turning to lean against the stone parapet in a mirror of Declan's position. The other man pushed off the wall beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You've come a long way from those early days, Will," Declan said quietly. "And you've got a way to go yet. Trust yourself; keep trusting her and you'll get there. You'll know when it's time: when she stops being 'Magnus' and starts being 'Helen'. And if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."

With a final squeeze of his shoulder, Declan stepped away and turned to leave.

"Thanks, Declan," Will said, turning slightly to look at the other man as he walked away.

"Anytime," Declan said, smiling and nodding his head. Then he turned and disappeared through the door.

Will turned back to the view, rolling the other man's words around in his head. Somewhere deep inside he'd known that Magnus meant more to him than just a mentor and employer. She'd become a friend somewhere along the line. What she'd be in the future was still to be decided, but for the first time, he found himself looking forward to finding out.

~Finis


End file.
